The End Where I Begin
by toalltheirown
Summary: AU in which Jane can't wait to get away from Boston after everything that happened with Hoyt, however after moving to Storybrooke she finds herself in a love triangle with head doctor, Maura Isles and her new boss, Sheriff Swan. (Jane/Maura & Emma/Regina)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - I wasn't sure whether I should start writing again or not, so let me know what you guys think and if I should continue. **

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Hm, what about Chicago?" Frankie questioned looking down at today's newspaper, his eyes scanning through, to see if he could spot anymore job vacancies.

Jane jumped down from the kitchen counter and walked over to where Frankie was sitting, pulling out a chair and sitting beside him, "Chicago, huh?" She glanced down, resting her chin against her hand, "I'm not sure, Frankie. I couldn't imagine living so far away from you guys," she admitted, looking over at her brother and offering him a small smile, which he returned with a sigh.

"Okay, okay, what about," he paused as he noticed the bold letters, "Jane, look!" he grinned tapping the ad with his index finger.

She took the newspaper in her hand, "Storybrooke? Where the hell's that?" she asked her brows furrowing.

"Maine. It's like, 4 hours away Janie! Come on you'd be perfect for the job, you've been complaining about wanting a new start, well this is it!" Jane placed the newspaper down as she listened to his argument - he was right, all she seemed to talk about the past month was leaving Boston and starting a new adventure, somewhere where no one knew her, somewhere she could start fresh.

* * *

It had been two weeks since Jane had received a call from the Sheriff's office confirming she'd successfully gotten the job as deputy. Finally it was time for her to pack her bags and start her new adventure in Maine, not that she hadn't started packing as soon as she sent off her résumé. There was a fine line between cocky and confident, and Jane surely enough managed to cross that line. She was sure she'd have the best résumé for the job and she was right, which didn't surprise her as she was often right about a lot of things. After a long, tearful goodbye from her mom, she threw her suitcases into the back of the car and set off for a lengthy drive to her new life in Storybrooke.

Jane edged closer to the large sign, stating she was about to enter Storybrooke, "this is it," she breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the town. Back home, Jane had already made a deal with a man named Mr. Gold about where she would be staying, she had agreed to pick up the keys to her new apartment the day she was due to arrive in Storybrooke. She decided to park her car in the resident parking lot of where she would be staying and take a look around town, to make her familiar with the place. The block of apartments wasn't the most attractive looking building she had ever seen; nevertheless Jane was never really one to care about how things looked.

After a good twenty minutes of walking around the small town of Storybrooke, she came across Mr. Gold's shop and decided it was probably time to unload her car and get settled in before it started getting dark. As Jane entered the shop she heard a small ring above her head which made an old man, which she assumed was Mr. Gold, appear from the back of the shop, "May I help you, Dearie?" he asked, cocking his head to the side slightly, examining Jane from her dark curls, to her black boots.

She walked towards him, with an extended arm, "Jane Rizzoli," she announced.

Gold shook her hand with a chill smile, "ah, Miss Rizzoli, nice to finally meet you. I believe you're here for your keys?" he asked, already bending down to find the keys to her apartment, "here you go dear, apartment 13," he handed her the keys and her face lit up, this was it, this was her life now.

Jane took the keys and tucked them into her blazer pocket, "Thank you, Mr. Gold, I appreciate what you're doing for me," she took out a wad of money from the same pocket and smiled "That's the first three months rent, I hope you don't mind if I pay in advance,"

He shook his head and almost snatched the money from her hand, "not at all Miss Rizzoli, if you need anything else do let me know," Jane nodded and took that as a dismissal, before leaving the pawn shop and heading back to the apartment block.

* * *

Jane was awoken by the piercing sound of her alarm clock, she desperately wanted to roll over and press snooze, but today was her first day at work and being late wouldn't be the greatest start to her new job. After finding the courage to leave the warmth of her bed, Jane pulled on a burgundy shirt and threw a blazer over the top of it. By the time she got ready it was already 8:30 am, she decided to skip breakfast, assuming there would be a pot of coffee at the sheriff's office.

"Sheriff Swan?" Jane husked as she knocked on the already open door, Emma looked up from her desk with a small smirk gracing her lips, she opened the left draw on her desk to grab the deputy badge that had been gathering dust for a while.

"Catch," she said, throwing the badge Jane's way, luckily for her she caught it. She stood up to greet the woman before her; she couldn't deny that Jane's beauty had some impact on her choosing the brunette for deputy. _Damn_, she was even hotter in person than she was on the photo in her profile, "Deputy, I'm impressed," she laughed, referring to the catch, of course.

Jane relaxed instantaneously, she felt so at ease with this woman she'd known for barely five minutes."What can I say?" she smirked, attaching the badge to her pants.

"I'm glad you're here actually, I needed something to distract me from all of this paperwork," Emma groaned, taking her jacket from the coat rack and moving past Jane to get to the door way, "come on, Rizzoli, we've got business to attend to," and with that Jane followed the Sheriff out towards the squad car.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The sheriff lead her new deputy into granny's and ordered two of her usual, "This is business?" Jane questioned, arching her eyebrow as she eyed up the hot chocolate being placed in front of her.

"Thanks Rubes," Ruby nodded then returned to the kitchen, "Yes, very important business," Emma continued, flashing a smile at the brunette. Before Emma could say another word, she was rudely interrupted by someone sitting in the booth behind her.

"Sheriff Swan, I assure you this is far from important business," a familiar voice called out, she should have known it was Regina. "Care to introduce me to your friend here," the mayor motioned towards Jane.

A smug smile appeared on Emma's face as she leaned back to face the mayor. Regina's beauty often caught her off guard and this time was no different, she shook her head and introduced the two, "Madame Mayor, meet Deputy Rizzoli."

Jane gave her a warm smile only for it to be ignored as Regina's brows furrowed "what do you mean your new deputy? You can't do that we don't have to funds,"

"Oh, I think you'll find I can and you know fine well we do, Madame Mayor," Emma corrects, turning her back on Regina, and shooting a considerate smile over to Jane, who at this point looked rather uncomfortable being in the middle of this conversation.

Regina scoffed at her reply, as she slid out of the booth. She rested her hands on the blondes table, bending over to close the gap between them. "See me in my office after this little play date of yours, Miss Swan, if you don't mind we have some actual problems to discuss," she scolded, her eyes not once leaving contact with the Sheriffs, until she turned on her heels to walk away.

Squirming in her seat, Emma's smile soon faded as she watched the Mayor leave Granny's. She rolled her eyes, before taking another drink. "Jeez, what's her problem?" She heard Jane ask.

"_I'm_ her problem,"

"What, why?"

"It's a long story, I'll tell you about it some other time," she paused as she traced the rim of the mug with her finger, and then shrugged. "I should probably go see what she wants. Oh and while I'm there could you pick up some paperwork from the Hospital?"

"You got it," Jane smiled, finishing off her hot chocolate - which was surprisingly nice, she'd never thought of adding cinnamon before.

"Thanks Rizzoli," Emma swung her legs out of the booth and stood up, she fixed her leather jacket and ran her fingers through her golden locks, "I'll meet you back here at 12ish for lunch? There was something I wanted to talk to you about before we were interrupted," she added, looking at the clock.

"Sure, see you at 12!" She nodded her eyes full of eagerness as they both left the Diner.

* * *

Here they were again, arguing over something stupid. If it was anyone else Emma would have simply got up and left but as much as she hated to admit to herself, she liked the constant bickering the two of them endured. She found she was the only person brave enough in this town to challenge the Mayor; however she was soon becoming tired of the current conversation. She shouldn't have to explain herself to Regina time and time again. "I don't need to listen to this," Emma shrugged like she'd heard it all before. "I don't need to check in with you over every decision I make," she said folding her arms. Lately Regina managed to find any excuse to call her to her office, and when she was there all they did was argue over one thing or another. Emma was beginning to think Regina liked arguing almost as much as her, although bickering over Jane wasn't her favourite subject.

Regina was acting like a jealous girlfriend which she found rather amusing. "You're jealous," she accused, uncrossing her arms and resting them on her hips.

"Excuse me?"

"You're jealous," she repeated, raising her eyebrow.

Regina scoffed in disbelief, "Do not flatter yourself, Miss Swan." But perhaps she was jealous, although she would never admit it; there was no other reasonable explanation for the way she was acting. There was no other explanation for why she was so upset about Emma hiring Jane as her new Deputy. Her cheeks reddened at the thought, though it was quickly dismissed. She couldn't possibly be jealous, the two weren't even friends, merely acquaintances who happened to share a son, and the idea of her being jealous was preposterous.

"Hm, whatever you say Madame Mayor," she teased, "at the end of the day, you have no say in who I hire as Deputy and you know that," she leaned against the Mayor's desk, "so if that's all you called me here for, I'll be leaving now."

"Actually I have some complaints to discuss with you, so please do take a seat Sheriff," Emma rolled her eyes and sat opposite Regina, mentally preparing herself for what was sure to be another boring conversation about petty theft or stolen flowers.

* * *

After a slightly awkward encounter with the hospital's medical secretary, she was finally pointed in the direction of the head doctor's office. She knocked lightly on the door before being called in.

"Deputy Rizzoli, I'm here to pick up a report on behalf of the Sheriff," she said, opening her blazer slightly to reveal her badge.

As she looked up her breath hitched in her throat, her eyes meeting the Doctors gaze. Never had Jane met someone as beautiful as the woman before her, her honey blonde waves fell perfectly on her shoulders. Her eyes a light shade of hazel, with a certain gleam to them, Jane couldn't quite put her finger on. The few seconds their eyes met felt like an eternity, but once the brunette broke eye contact she couldn't bring herself to look up again in fear her cheeks would burn bright red. Not that the Doctor had noticed, she was already rummaging through a pile of papers on her desk.

"I see Emma has you running after her already, Deputy," she smiled handing Jane the report.

Get it together Rizzoli, she thought as she took the report from the Doctor, finally bringing herself to look her in the eye. She really was breathtaking, and happened to rock a lab coat. At a loss for words, Jane simply nodded and returned the smile.

"I'm Dr Maura Isles. I suppose we will become quite familiar with each other, if Emma has you at her every beck and call,"

"Uh, well I guess that's what I'm here for," Jane shrugged, her smile not leaving her lips. "What's the report on anyway, Doctor,"

"A young man was beaten to death in front of his wife, two days ago. We're still treating her injuries but Emma insisted I make a report as soon as possible," she sighed, "and call me Maura, please."

"Rough time,"

"I'm surprised Emma hasn't already informed you about this, it's the first serious crime we've had here in years, and is why I assumed she hired you," Maura said, her brows furrowing.

All of Jane's concentration was now taken away from the Doctor and focused on the case in front of her, skimming through the file. "Would you mind giving me a rundown of the report? I mean, I have some time to kill before I meet Sheriff Swan for lunch and I'd really like to get a head start on all of this," she asked curiously.

"Of course, as long as you don't mind being in a room with dead bodies?"

"Not at all, lead the way Doctor," Jane opened the door for Maura, catching up to walk alongside the blonde. Maura nodded in appreciation, before heading down to the morgue.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

After a tiresome two hour meeting with the Mayor, Emma was glad to be back at the diner. She sat on one of the vacant stools and waved over her best friend. Ruby folded her arms on the counter and leaned forward, her nose almost touching Emma's. She was never one to respect anyone's personal space but that didn't seem to bother Emma, it was one the quirks she found she loved most about her. "Good afternoon Sheriff. Where's your little protégé?" Ruby asked when she noticed Emma was alone.

"If you're talking about Jane, she's over at the hospital picking up the papers for the case I told you about," she frowned looking up at the clock - **11:55am**. "She should be back by now, I was hoping to get her up-to-date so we could get a start on it,"

"I'm sure she'll be back soon enough, Em. Hey, have you told Regina yet?" Ruby asked looking quite concerned after the blonde shook her head. It had been two days since the murder and Emma still hadn't notified the Mayor, which could be a _very_ dangerous move.

"Her Majesty has enough on her plate, anyway this has nothing to do with her. She has no business hovering around a crime scene," Emma hushed. She had no doubt that the woman probably already knew about what happened. It was like she had the whole town under surveillance 24/7. Emma wanted to build a bigger report and have an idea what she was talking about for when she was to inform Regina or anyone else in the town for that matter about the tragedy. Dr Isles had helped to keep things on the down low, while she had no other option than to tell Ruby why she had been working nonstop over the past two days. She wouldn't have stopped nagging if she didn't, plus Emma would trust Ruby with her life so she had no doubt she'd keep it to herself.

She nodded sympathetically. Ruby understood where she was coming from, if the town knew about what happened havoc would break loose.

"Come on, Rizzoli. Where the hell are you?" The Sheriff muttered, looking up at the large clock on the diner wall. Jane was already 10 minutes late. It shouldn't have taken her more than half an hour never mind 2 hours. She wasn't worried, Jane was more than capable looking after herself, she was just pissed Jane hadn't bothered to call her or even send a text to say she was running late.

"Speaking of Jane, I wonder why you picked Officer Hotpants as your deputy," she smirked, breaking the silence that fell between them and prodding her best friend's bicep.

"Ruby!" She exclaimed shaking her head at the sudden question, "Jane has a good résumé okay? She worked with Boston PD for almost 6 years in homicide, she's more than qualified for the job. So if we're going off résumés she's the one who should be running this town, not some high school dropout with a criminal record," she finally let at a breath.

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks!" Ruby giggled, finding herself extremely hilarious, the sheriff not so much. "Are you sure it had nothing to do with her being an Italian stallion?"

"No, Rubes. It had nothing to do with her being an 'Italian stallion'," she said, finally giving in to the laugh she'd tried so hard to keep in. "That just happened to be a bonus."

"I knew it! I can read you like a book, Swan!"

"Wait, since when does Ruby Lucas know Hamlet?" Emma winked changing the subject as quickly as possible. Emma knew nothing could happen between her and Jane, hell she didn't even know if she was into girls. However if something were to happen between the two she was sure Regina would string her up on the spot. Since Graham, the Mayor had put a ban on relationships in the workplace, the ban hadn't been very popular with the people of Storybrooke but there was nothing they could do, this was Regina they were talking about and what she says tends to go.

"That was Hamlet?" She said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Ruby pursed her bright red lips as she heard a crash coming from the next room, followed by yelling from her Grandmother, "I should go see if Granny's okay," Ruby sighed, walking away from the blonde.

"Officer Hotpants is taking her sweet ass time, you'll have to send out a search party soon," she teased before disappearing behind the door.

Maybe not the extremes of a search party, but she was certainly going to have to call Jane if she didn't show within the next 15 minutes.

* * *

"See the compound fracture along the cranium?" Maura pointed out, although it was pretty hard to miss. "It occurred due to blunt force trauma. Because the impact was excessive, the bone fractured at the site of the impact causing underlying physical structures contained within the cranium to explode, such as membranes and blood vessels,"

A bemused look appeared on Jane's face. Maura was speaking so fast she had only caught a couple of words, well that and she was partly distracted by Maura herself. "Um, in English please,"

"Our friend here died almost instantly, in fact he was probably dead before he hit the ground,"

That, Jane could understand. She pulled up her scrubs as she stepped forward to get a better view of the impact injury, examining closely with interest. The brunette could feel Maura's eyes piercing into the side of her face, despite wanting to look up to lock gazes with the Doctors she resisted, giving it a couple of seconds before breaking the silence. "What do you think the murder weapon was, Doc?" she said, slowly raising her head.

"Oh, I don't make guesses Jane, it's unprofessional"

"But if you were, what are we saying like a baseball bat? A vase? Give me something to work with," Jane pleaded giving Maura her best "puppy dog" impression.

Staring into the Deputy's soft brown eyes Maura sighed, normally she would never assume something so valuable to a murder case, or anything else for that matter, but there was something about the woman standing opposite her that made her completely disregard the thought of her breaking out in hives if she were to take a stab in the dark. Although it wouldn't be complete darkness, Maura did have a few ideas of what the murder weapon could be.

"Well...The shape of the impact does indicate towards a long firm instrument,"

"You mean like a cane?"

"It's a possibility, however I was thinking more along the lines of a hammer or a crowbar? It's really hard to tell so early on in the investigation Deputy Rizzoli, I'm sorry." Maura apologised her brows meeting in the middle as she took off her latex gloves and quickly discarded them.

Jane offered a warming smile, following the Doctors movements. "Are you kidding? You've already helped a bunch Maura. You didn't have to go out of your way to show me down here, I appreciate it I really do!"

The Doctor acknowledged her appreciation with a slight nod, licking her lips unconsciously as she watched Jane remove her scrubs. "Uh, so why here? Why Storybrooke?" The blonde quizzed, removing the layer on top of her clothing.

"Well, I just wanted a new st-shit!" Jane looked down at her watch before returning a sorry look towards Maura. "I promised Emma I'd meet her for lunch," she explained, failing to notice the disappointed glint in the blonde's eyes.

Maura wanted nothing more than to continue her conversation with her new found acquaintance but graciously nodded understanding that the Deputy was already running late for her lunch date. Jane was the first new arrival here in Storybrooke since herself, so of course she wanted to get to know her. Although the two seemed complete polar opposites, Maura found herself curiously fascinated by the newcomer.

"How about we continue this conversation over dinner? Tonight?" Maura was shocked at how eager the question sounded when it left her mouth but figured there was nothing she could do about it now.

A smile graced Jane's lips when she noticed the sudden panic on Maura's face. "Sure, um here's my number," she scribbled down her number on the blank post-it note left on the side of Maura's desk, "just give me a call when you're finished your shift and we'll work something out?" She picked up the report and shoved it under her arm then hurried towards the elevator without a single look back.

"Thanks again Dr Isles," Maura heard the Deputy's voice echo from the closing doors of the elevator and couldn't help large grin appearing on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After countless apologies and six coffees later, Emma finally finished briefing Jane on the recent tragedy to grace Storybrooke. She understood it was a lot to ask from someone who'd started her job less than 7 hours ago but Emma knew I was nothing the brunette couldn't handle. Luckily for her this wasn't Jane's first homicide.

"So Mayor Mills doesn't know?" Jane questioned raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"Correct,"

"And you're not planning on telling her?"

"Correct. Well not yet, not until we've answered a few of these questions," the Sheriff bit the inside of her cheek, studying the board in front of her. "First of all, we need to find out what the wife knows," she pulled the top off a marker and drew a large red circle around a photo of a young blonde who looked like she'd just gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson.

As daylight turned to darkness Jane found her mind wandering back to Maura, the way her perfectly waved locks fell upon her shoulders, the way she walked the hospital hallways like she was a runway model, the way her soft hazel eyes lit up wh- "Rizzoli, focus!" Jane was snapped out of her daydream by Emma slamming down a folder on the desk. She glanced through it, taking note a mental note of everyone related to the couple in any way, shape or form. A familiar face caught Jane's attention almost immediately.

"I know him, I'm leasing my apartment from him," Jane ran long fingers through brown curls.

"He owns half the town, Mayor Mills the other half," Emma paused, spinning the folder around so she could take a look, "Including the house Jack and Jill Banks were renting, which makes Gold a suspect."

"Well let's hope it's not him, otherwise I'm out of a home," Jane laughed, half joking.

The sound of Jane's ringtone ripped through the station, she laughed softly when the Sheriff almost jumped out of her seat. There were only two people it could be at this time of night, Jane's mom or Maura. Jane looked over at the blonde who gave her the go-ahead before taking the phone call, butterflies already fluttering her stomach. She pulled out her phone and looked down at the screen; it wasn't her mom's number that was for sure. A huge grin spread across Jane's face as she answered the call. "Maura, hi."

* * *

With Jane long gone, Emma was left alone in the office still trying to put together the pieces of this investigation. It was a known fact that the Sheriff put her heart and soul into any case she took on, therefore staying at the office until the dead of night for the third night running was no surprise. Although the biggest crime she had to deal with before this one was a couple of stolen bikes and damage to the Mayors precious flowers.

Emma lifted her head from the pages she was buried in after she heard the ever so familiar click clack of Louboutin heels. It was easily well past 10pm, so what on earth could bring Regina here at this hour?

"Miss Swan, when will you learn that this is _my_ town? You must realise by now that there is nothing I don't know or won't find out?"

_Ah, crap._ Emma's lips parted slightly at what the Mayor was intending. How the hell could she possibly know about this?

Before Emma could let out a reply Regina edged forward, slamming down either hand on the side of Emma's desk, "Do not underestimate me Sheriff. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

Brown eyes locked with green, neither seemed to want to break contact first. Regina's lips pressed into a hard line, Emma's curving slightly into a smirk as she thought of 101 ways to respond to the Mayors statement. The brunette couldn't believe Emma had failed to provide Regina with the news of the Banks'. The selfish act could have put the whole town in danger and yet here she was, sat smirking at her. That damn smirk.

She leaned forward onto her elbows, so the pair was no less than a couple of inches away from each other. "I don't underestimate you, Madame Mayor."Her voice at a whisper. "Far from it actually."

Regina felt her cheeks redden as the blonde leaned in closer, she felt her breath on her skin but quickly pulled her head away from the Sheriffs, "Miss Swan I have no time for your games. I demand you tell me what's going on, or so help me."

"Oh you _'demand'_ do you?" Emma quirked her eyebrow, leaning back in her chair. She took in every inch of the brunette in front of her. All fear she may have felt when she saw the brunette was quickly dismissed. She could tell the Mayor was becoming restless and uncomfortable, two things you wouldn't normally associate with Regina Mills.

"Please, Miss Swan," The plea came out a lot softer than she intended, and was almost positive Emma had noticed too. It wasn't often Regina used the word, especially in the presence of the Sheriff, but the Mayor's town was in danger and she needed to know what her next move would be.

Instead of being at each other's throats like usual they were actually having a civil conversation, even if that was in the terms of discussing the major details of the case. After Emma had explained the reasons she hadn't informed Regina sooner, the pair fell into a comfortable silence. For some reason Regina couldn't come to terms with the fact the Sheriff didn't want to put any more stress on the Mayor, after all this was the Emma they were talking about-the woman who has tried making her life a misery ever since she arrived at Storybrooke.

"It's getting late, I should go." Regina gave Emma unconvincing smile and stood up from the chair she was seated in. She wasn't sure if she could sit in the room any longer without throwing an insult at the blonde.

Emma found herself smirking yet again, "Since when do Evil Queen's have bed times?"

"Very funny, but I'm expecting a phone call from Henry any minute now,"

Emma immediately regretted the snide remark at the mention of her son's name, "right, um, how's he doing?"

"He's fine." She said bluntly. "I was meaning to ask if you could pick him up after school on Thursday, I have a meeting that won't finish until 5. You can give him his dinner and return him home for 6." Her tone was firm, as was the look on the brunettes face.

"Sure, 6 it is!" Emma beamed; she'd been waiting for Regina's approval to take her son out for almost a month now. After Henry's last stay with his birthmother, he didn't get home until two hours after Regina had asked and she wasn't pleased in the slightest. In fact the blonde got an ear full for at least a week after the incident.

Emma watched as perfectly toned legs left her office, "And no later, Miss Swan." Regina was sure to add before leaving the Sheriff's office.

* * *

"Here we go," Jane smiled, setting down two beers in front of Maura. It was almost 9:30pm after the pair had finished their meals. The night on a whole was already off to a great start; they'd picked up from where they left off at the hospital, Jane revealing that she was tired of being stuck in Boston despite the drama she interacted with on a daily basis.

The Doctor scrunched her nose up at the site of the drinks. "Uh, what are these?" She asked, studying the bottle before pushing it away.

"Beers," Jane smiled taking a seat opposite the blonde.

"I don't really drink beer,"

"That's because you've never tried _my _beer," the brunette insisted pushing the bottle back to its original spot.

Maura hesitated, letting the bottle linger over her lips before finally making contact. She closed her eyes as the light, bitter liquid hit her lips. Beer wasn't Maura's usual drink of choice; she would rather go for something more elegant, like a 1995 chateauneuf du pape. However, she was pleasantly surprised as the crisp taste of the beer slid down her throat.

"It's, it's delicious," she smiled, not being able to hide the shocked expression on her face.

"Right! Wait 'till you try a spuckie," a smug smirk appeared on her lips as she took another sip.

"I don't know what that is, but it sounds..." she tried looking for the word but nothing seemed to fit. Well, nothing positive that is.

"I think the words you're looking for are, succulent, luscious, a tiny orgasm in your mouth!"

Hazel eyes widened at the end of the Deputy's sentence, "that good?" she questioned with a smirk that soon turned into a soft giggle.

Jane simply nodded as the words slowly sunk in. She just compared a sub sandwich with an orgasm to possibly the most elegant woman she'd ever met. _Nice move, Rizzoli. _The Deputy couldn't understand why Maura had wanted to go for dinner in the first place, they were complete opposites. Maura was prim and proper while Jane had a more relaxed take on her appearance. She'd have never thought the two would hit it off but here they were drinking beers in some grubby bar like they'd known each other for years. Jane was in complete awe but was trying ever so hard to cover her feelings up with a large amount of sarcasm.

"Well, it's getting rather late. Would you mind?"

A blank expression crossed Jane's face, her jaw slightly askew. "Uh, would I mind, what?" She asked her brow creasing in the middle.

"Walking me home?" Maura shifted in her seat as she slid her arms into her trench coat before pulling it over her shoulders. She would never normally ask to be walked home; she was usually a very independent woman. In fact if she were out with a man she would have insisted seeing _him_ home but for some reason she felt compelled to ask Jane to walk with her. Maybe it was because she wasn't quite ready to depart from the slim brunette, despite the time.

"Oh yeah, sure, no problem." The Deputy nodded trying not to over think the proposal. It was just two people, out for dinner, getting to know each other. Plus Jane was the Deputy; it was her duty to make sure Maura got home safe, right?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – I know this updates a little early but I'm sure no one will mind. Don't forget to let me know what you think, I'm always open to input! I should also mention I own nothing but my laptop.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

It had been a busy week for both Emma and Jane. The two were still no closer to finding out who killed Jack Banks. Fortunately today was the day Dr Isles was finally allowing the police department to interview Mrs Banks. If it weren't for Jane and Maura's new budding friendship the Sheriff would have had to wait another 3 days to integrate her, however after what felt like hours of begging on Jane's side, Maura eventually caved.

The pair had spent pretty much every waking hour going over the crime scene, interviewing family members and close friends but yet they seemed no further forward in the investigation, so hopefully today was going to change that.

"Should we do the whole, 'good cop, bad cop' thing?" Emma asked as she pretended to put on fake sunglasses and folded her arms.

"If either of us is gonna be the bad cop, it's gonna me," Jane teased pulling her best 'brooding' face.

Emma held up her arms and shook her head in protest. "No way, you're about as terrifying as a lap dog!"

"Coming from the golden retriever herself?"

"Oh shut up, Rizzoli" Emma smirked, hitting Jane over the back of the head.

"Two coffees for my two favourite officers," Ruby smiled handing Jane her coffee and placing Emma's just short of her on the counter top. When she heard Emma mutter something under her breath she shot her a look that seemed to shut her up then turned her gaze back to Jane who obviously ignored the comment.

"If I could just but in here, I'd say Jane is definitely the bad cop. She's got the whole tall, dark and mysterious look going on," The perky brunette blushed a light shade of pink before looking over at Emma. "Whereas you, not so much. No offence Em!"

"Uh, some taken. I can be badass," the blonde huffed, and then took a well deserved drink of her coffee. "Ow! Son of a bit-"a hand managed to clamp her mouth before she finished the sentence. She'd promised Regina she would try to stop using curse words around Henry, but the habit seemed to follow her even when her son didn't.

Jane cocked her head, looking at the blonde who now seemed to look like a kicked puppy. "Sure you can," she teased pinching her cheek before bringing her hand up to ruffle her hair. Needless to say it was now Emma's cheeks forming a distinct redness, rather than the waitress'.

* * *

A grin automatically brightened Jane's face when she laid eyes on Maura. The duo followed the Head Doctor up a couple of flights of stairs before reaching the floor Mrs Banks was situated on. Maura explained how the elevator was currently being fixed so they had to take the stairs, not that Jane minded, she got to admire her perfectly fitted dress covering her perfectly toned "gluteus maximus" as Maura would call it.

Jane felt a sharp pain below her ribs, and quickly discovered the source of pain. A rather annoyed looking, Sheriffs elbow. "You're staring," she said through gritted teeth as they continued to climb the stairs behind the Doctor.

"It's hard not to," Jane replied in a hushed tone.

* * *

Thirteen minutes was all it took for the murder victim's wife to confess. It was a hard story for both women to listen to, regarding their own past. Turns out, Jill Banks was a victim in her own rights, a victim to her own husband.

He'd been physically and emotionally abusing her for the past year and on that night she finally snapped. She could barely stand after her brute of a husband had finished beating her to a pulp, drawing up enough energy to grab the fire poker beside her she struck him with a fatal blow to the head, killing him instantly but once she stated she couldn't stop. 12 months of pain and suffering lead the woman to continue beating her husband until she collapsed in a heap on his chest, passing out from exhaustion, which explains why she ended up in the hospital as well as her battered body.

Jane rubbed the scars on her hands unconsciously as she sat down next to Emma. "Son of bitch deserves everything he got, almost makes me not want to lock her up," the Deputy sighed.

"Tell me about it," Emma agreed, resting her head in her hands. "She won't get that long with it coming down to self defence," she quickly reassured.

Jane nodded as she took a sip of her well deserved drink. "Hey, shouldn't you be going to pick Henry up?"

Emma looked up from the bar and spotted Maura walking towards them, "Way to be subtle, Rizzoli," she smirked, saying a quick hello and goodbye to the Doctor before heading outside to meet her son.

Maura placed her purse on the bar, and swiftly took the seat next to Jane. "Congratulations on closing your first case, Deputy" she smiled, placing a hand on Jane's shoulder. The brunette felt a sudden spark shoot up her spine at the contact.

"Couldn't have done it without you," she returned the smile and placed her hand on top of Maura's.

"That's ridiculous, of course you could have," her smile faded as she looked around the gloomy bar, scanning the faces of the regular drunks beside her. "How about I make you dinner to celebrate?" her voice lowed to a whisper, "I don't feel like being around these soulless drunks much longer."

Jane raised her eyebrows as a faux shocked expression covered her face, "so you can hang out with dead people all day who are literally soulless but god forbid you sit next to Leroy," her lips soon formed into a smirk as she made eye contact with the blonde, "unless this is your way of asking me on a date?"

Maura returned the smirk and pushed herself off the bar stool, "Are you coming or not?"

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

After Emma had helped her son with his homework she made it her mission to return him home 10 minutes early. She hoped her time keeping would make up for last time and the Mayor would drop this punishment Emma seemed to be facing.

Henry ran straight to the mansion dragging Emma behind him, begging her to come in as they were a lot earlier than she'd planned.

"Please Emma!"

"I'm not sure your Mom would like that," she tried to squirm her way out of the child's grip.

"Please, please, please!" He begged, tightening the grasp around Emma's wrist.

"5 minutes, that's it!" she was already over the threshold, when she finally gave into him.

Regina emerged from her office when she heard voices from the lounge. She was so lost in paperwork she hadn't noticed Henry was home already.

"Henry, what have I told you about watching TV before you've finished your homework?" She asked before she even reached the room. When she entered the room she found her son wrestling his birthmother to the ground, or at least that's what he was attempting. The blonde grabbed hold of Henry's legs as he climbed on her back, spinning the two of them around to face Regina.

"Hi," Emma smiled shyly, blonde waves falling in front of her face as she did so.

"Miss Swan, what is the meaning of this?"

"Relax Mom, we're just playing. Plus I already finished my homework, Emma helped me!" Henry sighed, jumping from Emma's back and landing on the couch behind him.

"Don't speak to your Mom like that, Henry," Emma frowned.

"Henry, please go upstairs, I'd like to have a word with the Sheriff,"

"Whatever," he said before disappearing upstairs.

Regina turned on her heels and walked back towards her office, expecting Emma to follow which she did, of course. Emma wondered why Regina had asked to speak to her privately, she knew she would be a little mad inviting herself in, but she thought she'd tell her to leave and that would be that.

"Would you like a drink, Miss Swan? Perhaps some cider, I have something stronger if you'd like?" Her tone was soft, throwing Emma off guard. She had no idea what game she was playing but there was no way she'd refuse a drink.

"Uh, cider's fine thanks," Emma watched as Regina poured the cider into two glasses, and then sat down in the loveseat behind her.

"I believe a congratulations is in order Sheriff?"

"Wow, news travels fast around here doesn't it?" Emma gave out a nervous laughter, still unsure as to why she was sat there.

"I feel for her, I really do," Regina sighed.

"You actually have feelings? Who knew?"

"Really Miss Swan? I'm trying to have a mature conversation with you but you just can't help yourself can you?"

"Oh come on, you set yourself up for that one!" Emma smirked into her drink. "Do you wanna tell me why I'm really here?"

"Like I said, a congratulations was in order."

"Regina, I'm not that stupid,"

"I beg to differ," she replied snidely.

"Look who's being the immature one now,"

"Enough Miss Swan, if you must know I was going to propose an offer."

"Oh really? And what would that offer entail?" the blonde arched her eyebrow, locking eyes with Regina.

"I have a business conference that isn't scheduled to end until around midnight, would it be possible for Henry to stay at your apartment this Saturday?"

"Sure Regina. You only had to ask, there was no need to seduce me with cider and small talk," Emma teased.

"Don't make me change my mind, Emma." The brunette said firmly as she stood up to refill her glass.

Emma's eyes widened as Regina turned her back to her, her smile growing into a large grin as what she just heard settled in. "What was that?"

"I said, 'don't make me change my mind',"

"No, you said 'Emma', you said my name!" The blonde beamed, standing up to move closer to Regina who was now only a few feet away. "You said my name, you never call me by my name," she smirked prodding Regina's sides lightly.

Regina's brows furrowed as she shooed her away, "Miss Swan, this is highly inappropriate," she swatted Emma's hands away again, after placing her drink down safely.

"And we're back to Miss Swan," Emma sighed finishing the drink in her hand and setting the glass down next to Regina's.

Regina began to panic. _Damn this woman_. "I think it's time for you to go, you can pick Henry up at 1 after lunch," she dismissed.

Emma knew it would end like this, all they did was bicker; she should have known she wouldn't be able to take a joke. "Whatever," she said before leaving Regina to analyse what had just happened.

_Like mother, like son. _Regina leaned against her desk and let out a defeated sigh. Why the blonde had to go and ruin a perfectly civil conversation was beyond her. Though she wanted nothing more than let out a small giggle when Emma touched her sides but she couldn't bring herself to let go of the mask she seemed to hide behind every day of her life. She knew Emma's goal was only to make Regina laugh, but still she couldn't bring herself to drop her guard, not even for Emma.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"So Emma's kid, he thinks everyone in town is a Fairytale Character?"

"Yes, he does have quite the imagination," Maura smiled, as she began to toss the salad.

"Okay then, who are you?"

"I believe Henry refers to me as _his_ fairy godmother. He gave me the title after I resuscitated his teddy bear when he was 5,"

"Lame! He should have made you Pinocchio's twin sister or something, you know because of the whole lying thing,"

"Very clever Jane. Did you know Pinocchio is actually Italian for pine head?"

"No, really?" she rolled her eyes, smirking playfully as she watched the blondes facial expression change. Maura knew Jane was Italian but she was yet to find out she spoke it fluently.

Maura shook her head, placing the salad in front of Jane, "did you also know that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit?" She asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Yes, but the highest form of intelligence," the brunette perked up in her chair, throwing a smirk Maura's way.

"In some cases," the blonde fired back handing Jane a plate. "Now eat," she pushed the salad closer after placing some on her own plate.

Jane scoffed, somewhat surprised at how quick the reply was. She studied the colourful leaves in front of her and groaned as she pushed it around her plate, "You want me to eat rabbit food?"

"It's good for your digestive system, all I've ever seen you eat is fries, now eat up."

"Fine, Mom," she laughed, scrunching up her face as she ate.

"I don't understand, what is the big whoop? Salad is good for you,"

Jane raised her brows, trying to hold back a laugh. "Did you just say 'what is the big whoop'?"

"What's wrong with that expression?" Maura countered, she was sure she used the phrase correctly, however the look on Jane's face said otherwise.

"Oh nothing, I love it!" She dropped her fork and raised her arms, "I'm gonna use it all the time now...'What's the big whoop'?" she threw her arms into an over exaggerated shrug, the teasing smirk not leaving her face.

"Be quiet and eat your kale," Maura snapped.

The next hour was spent exactly like the first, comfortable conversation and constant teasing. To Maura's delight Jane managed to finish her salad, and even offered to help wash the dishes. After tidying up the two eventually sat down with a glass of Maura's best vintage wine, which Jane managed to insult. They stayed like this the rest of the night until the blonde looked over to see Jane had dozed off. A small smile appeared on her lips as she turned the TV off and wandered into her bedroom to find a blanket for the Deputy. Obviously Maura wasn't going to wake her for the sake of a couple of hours sleep, so she placed the blanket over Jane before getting ready for bed herself.

Jane awoke to the smell of freshly cooked eggs, suddenly coming to the realisation that she wasn't in her own apartment before she'd even opened her eyes. She processed how she ended up on Maura's couch and wondered why the blonde hadn't woke her up last night when she'd drifted off to sleep. She squinted and rubbed her eyes as she sat up.

"Something smells good," a raspy tone spoke out as she looked over at Maura.

Maura grinned back at the compliment, "I was beginning to think you were never going to wake up. I'm sure Henry would call you Sleeping Beauty,"

"Ha ha," she rolled her eyes as she grabbed a fork and sampled the eggs in front of her. "Mmm, these are really good,"

"Thank you,"

"No, thank _you,_" Jane smiled shovelling another fork full into her mouth.

Maura laughed. "Don't you have work today?"

"Emma is giving me the morning off,"

"Just as well,"

"Give me a break, it's been a busy week," the brunette teased.

"I'm going in the shower, I'd tell you to make yourself at home but it looks like you already have," Maura returned the teasing as she walked over to her bedroom. "By the way, those were my eggs," she said without looking back.

"Oops," Jane smirked, finishing off what was left.

When Maura returned Jane had to use all of her strength to direct her gaze, making sure her eyes didn't move south. Maura was sporting a silk Japanese kimono that left little to the imagination. _I wonder if she's naked under there._ The thought was dismissed by a subtle shake of her head as she watched her wet hair drip on her shoulders.

"What uh, what are your plans for today?" the brunette managed to choke out as she finished drying her dishes. Hopefully her schedule was free, Jane wanted to ask her to dinner again after her shift had finished.

"I have a date with Dr Whale,"

Jane's heart sank as the words left her perfectly shaped lips. "Victor?" She scoffed trying her best to hide the disappointment in her tone.

"Yes," the blonde stated in a matter of fact.

"The doctor that can't seem to keep his hands to himself?" her question was ignored, "um, what time is he picking you up?" she tried again.

"We agreed for 7,"

"And you're getting ready now?" she frowned.

"Yes,"

Jane found herself quizzing Maura about the man in question for a good 30 minutes, fortunately Maura hadn't seem to catch on to Jane's disappoint and continued to answer the majority of her questions.

"Would you mind helping me find something to wear?"

"As much as I would love to, I should be going Maur. Thanks for the breakfast," she gave her a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes before leaving Maura alone in the apartment.

"That was weird," she shrugged, watching the door close behind Jane.

* * *

What aggravated Emma the most was that no matter how hard she tried to get along with Henry's adoptive mother, it always seemed to get thrown back in her face. Sure, she liked the teasing and trying to get under her skin but her son had made it known that he wanted them to at least try and be in the same room with each other without arguing. Maybe she did over step the line the last time she was in Regina's presence, of course they weren't best friends, hell they weren't even friends but at the time she saw nothing wrong with the act. What was playful banter between two women who happened to share a son?

Nevertheless Saturday had soon rolled around and she had agreed on looking after Henry prior her awkward departure. She knocked against the mansion door, not waiting too long before a silhouette appeared behind it.

"Miss Swan, you're early. Henry's still at his appointment with Archie," she started, crossing her arms over her chest as she cold crept in. She took in every inch of Emma's attire, her usually skin tight jeans, white vest top and red leather jacket. Apparently her jacket wasn't doing its job at keeping her warm that much was obvious.

"Oh, okay. I'll go wait in the car until he gets back,"

Regina still felt slightly guilty after Thursday's turn of events, although she couldn't understand why, if Emma had just let it go the two could have easily enjoyed a mature conversation and another glass of cider. Who was she kidding, this was Emma. "He'll be back soon, you can wait in here. Besides its freezing and I wouldn't be surprised if that death trap of yours didn't have any heating,"

Emma resisted her urge to roll her eyes, giving her a thankful nod before stepping inside.

"Would you like a drink? Water, coffee?" The mayor asked over her shoulder as Emma followed her to the kitchen.

"I'm good actually,"

"Very well," she replied, taking a glass from the cupboard to pour herself a glass.

They sat in an awkward silence for what seemed like forever to the blonde before she decided to break it. "I should probably apologise for the way I left the other day,"

"You don't say?" Regina laughed.

Her brows furrowed, "I was just trying to lighten the mood before you went all touchy on me,"

"Well, I didn't appreciate your child like antics. Really Miss Swan, even Henry doesn't act like that,"

"Maybe not around you," she muttered under her breath.

Regina shot her a dark glare but before she could answer Henry bound through the door. The two stood up in sync and made their way to the foyer where Henry was taking off his shoes.

"Emma? You're here already?" he questioned with the biggest grin on his face.

"I just got here, bud. Are you ready to go?"

"Sure, my bag's upstairs hold on," he said before running upstairs to retrieve his overnight bag.

"You know the deal by now Miss Swan," she heard Regina say behind her.

Emma turned on her heels to face the brunette giving her a fake smile. "No sweets after 6, homework before dinner and in bed before 9," she listed before heading out towards the bug. "Henry I'll be in the car," she shouted before giving a small wave to Regina.

* * *

"Fuck," the brunette sighed throwing her head in her hands. "Of course this would happen," she said, trying to start her car for what could have been the hundredth time. "And now I'm talking to myself," she gave out a pathetic laugh, as she dropped her head again in defeat. Usually in times like these she would have called Graham to pick her up, as Michael wouldn't be available this time of night. After her international business conference she didn't leave the office until 12:30am and her house was too far to walk at this hour. She was positively stuck for ideas. She pulled out her phone and scrolled down the list of names in her contacts list. _No. No way. I'd rather wait for Michael to wake up than ask Emma for help. _

The ever stubborn Mayor sat in her car for another hour before she finally gave in and phoned Emma. Luckily for her, she didn't have to wait much longer for the blonde to arrive. They both sat in silence as Emma drove her home, Regina couldn't help but smirk at the blondes chosen attire but opted out of making a sly comment for now. Once they pulled up outside the Mayoral mansion Regina rested her hand on the Sheriffs shoulder and smiled with gratitude. "Thank you," she said simply before getting out of the car, she rested her hand on top of the roof her smirk gracing her lips once again, "...Emma," she finished before slamming the car door shut.

Emma watched as Regina left her jaw gaping open before forming a smile on her lips. It stayed there until she got back to the apartment, pulling the sheets back before plugging her phone in to charge and resting it on her bedside table. Soon after she laid the device down it vibrated, she saw Regina's name flash as her attention was brought to the screen.

**Sun 2:07am Regina Mills – Nice PJ's. **

Emma shook her head, looking down at her teddy bear onesie as she typed back a reply. Her lips tugged at the corners to form a smile.

**Sun 2:07am Emma Swan – Think yourself lucky, I usually wear my birthday suit to bed.**

**Sun 2:08am Regina Mills – Completely impractical. What if there was a fire, what would you do then Miss Swan? **

**Sun 2:10am Emma Swan- Shake what my mamma gave me. **

**Sun 2:11am Regina Mills- Excuse me? **

Emma let out a small laugh. Of course Regina had never heard of the song.

**Sun 2:11am Emma Swan – Never mind. **

Regina waited a while before typing and retyping the next message, hoping she would have fallen asleep. She would never usually engage in casual texting, especially with Emma Swan but the blonde had gone out of her way for her and she needed her to know she was grateful for that.

**Sun 2:30am Regina Mills- I appreciate what you did tonight. Thank you. **

**Sun 2:36am Emma Swan – It was no problem at all. Goodnight Regina. **

The sudden vibration made Emma jump out of the light sleep she had fallen into. She typed out the reply, setting the phone under her pillow. Emma fell asleep with a smile on her face for the first time in god knows how long. Little did she know, across town a certain brunette had fallen asleep exactly the same way.

"Goodnight Emma," the Mayor breathed before falling into a deep sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N - I'm so sorry this took so long, I promise the next chapter will be up sooner! This one's only short but it's better than nothing, right? Enjoy!:)**

**Chapter 7**

Jane slumped on her bed, pillow thrown carelessly over her face. Was she jealous? She had no right to be jealous. They were just friends and clearly Maura was straight. It was around 5am the next morning and Jane hadn't had a minutes sleep. She'd found herself thinking of Maura and her date all night. Thinking about how he probably had his slimy hands all over her, pulling every trick in the book just to cop a feel. She rolled out of bed and headed to the kitchen, food was bound to take her mind off her, right?

Wrong. Jane decided to make eggs which only reminded her of the previous morning. There she was, sat at her kitchen counter, moping over some girl yet again. Jane was always known as the one who fell too hard too fast; it had always been that way ever since college. She should be used to it by now; it always ended the same way so why should she expect it to be different this time around?

Work was no different. Emma hadn't turned in yet so the station was silent. Alone with her thoughts, Jane kicked back against her chair thinking of ways to get the blonde out of her head. She wondered if Emma would mind if she went down to Granny's to pick up some breakfast. Apart from her first week, Storybrooke was a rather dull town with not much excitement. An hour away from the phones wouldn't do any harm.

* * *

"What can I get you, Deputy?"

Jane looked up from her slouch to see the quirky waitress dressed top to toe in red apparel. "Just a coffee please," she put on a fake smile but Ruby wasn't fooled.

Moments later she returned with her coffee and some pancakes. "Uh, I didn't order these Rubes?"

"I know. It's on the house, just don't tell Granny," she winked before disappearing into the kitchen.

Jane shrugged as she dove into the pancakes which were drowning in maple syrup. Free pancakes? Maybe this day could get better.

"Wanna tell me why you were brooding before I so kindly gave you a free breakfast?" she heard the brunette whisper in her ear.

_Ah, everything comes at a price. _"Not really," she managed to get out after shovelling a forkful of pancakes into her mouth.

Ruby slid a hand under Jane's arm and swiped the pancakes from beneath her. "Suit yourself."

"Wait, what?"

"No talky, no pancakes."

Jane swivelled her chair around to face her, and cocked an eyebrow. "The nerve."

"Sure you don't wanna tell me?"

Jane frowned; she didn't have to tell her _everything_. This could be a fair trade. "Fine, just gimme back the pancakes," she pouted, stretching her arms out like a child.

"Thought you might," she smirked, taking off her apron after she handed the plate back before sitting in the vacant seat next to her. "So, what's got you down?"

"Who," she muttered.

"Huh?"

"Who, not what." She clarified. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. I mean, you just did," she smiled trying to lighten the mood.

Jane acknowledged her attempts. Maybe Ruby wasn't the right person to discuss this with. Nevertheless, getting this off her chest could be good for her, even if that meant venting to Ruby of all people. "Um, how do you get over someone you can't go a day without thinking about?"

"Hm that's a tough one. Personally, I just try to forget the good and only see the bad in them. You know what I mean?" Jane nodded, though she was positive Maura didn't have a single trait she didn't like. Everything about her was cute and quirky, at least that's the way Jane saw her.

"But you know what they say, before you can get over someone, you have to get under someone else," she laughed, bumping her shoulder.

Ruby was definitely the wrong person to be talking about this with. "Who says that?" she asked with a shake of her head.

"People," Ruby shrugged. "Seriously though, you wanna get over this person you need to occupy the mind and what better way to do so than a hot rebound?"

* * *

Her last encounter with Emma stirred in Regina's mind all morning. She thought about how she should play the next half an hour. She could either ignore the fact that there was an undeniable attraction between the two or she could act upon it.

_That's preposterous_ - A loud thud soon snapped her out of her deep thought. The blonde practically fell through the door without even a knock, although the Sheriff had about as much grace as a bull in a china shop, so the heaviness of her slouched walk did give some indication as to who may be entering her office.

"Miss Swan," she nodded, glancing over the top of her glasses to acknowledge the blondes presence.

"Your Majesty. How may I be of service on this fine morning?" She gave a mocked curtsy, pulling at the corners of her red leather jacket.

Regina couldn't stop the smirk that formed mid-sentence. Her playfulness was quite endearing but was soon forgotten about as an email flashed on her screen, directing her thought back to the reason she was here. "I have no time for jokes." She stated abruptly. "There's a lot of work that needs to be discussed about the charity festival for the new school roof."

Emma raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Shouldn't that wait for the next council meeting?"

"I thought that we could get a head start?" She suggested, taking off her glasses- almost seductively and setting them down next to the keyboard.

Emma agreed by taking the seat opposite her. "Ok well show me what you have so far,"

After the two had finished finalizing the main details regarding the upcoming festival they decided to move onto the subject of their son. Emma asked to take him out for ice-cream, weekend coming but Regina had already made plans to take him to an art museum out of town.

"An art museum? Oh I bet he'll love that," she mused, her sarcastic tone only infuriated the brunette more.

"What are you implying Miss Swan?"

"Well it's not really how a kid wants to spend him weekend, is it?"

"Oh and I suppose you know that, what with all of your knowledge on how to raise a child?" She bit back.

"Woah," she held her hands up defensively. "I wasn't saying that I know more than you," she paused trying to think of a way to dig her way out of this without insulting Regina even more.

She new for a fact walking around a museum for 3 hours was Henry's definition of hell but there was no way she would risk telling Regina that. She did value her life after all. She just needed to think of a simple solution that would work well for both women.

Regina watched on as the blonde sat silently. She cleared her through to grab her attention.

Emma shook her head and smiled softly. "Sorry, I was just thinking that maybe-"

"Don't strain yourself, Dear."

Emma ignored the jibe and continued. "That maybe we could take him to the park, enjoy the scenery then take him for ice-cream? If you want, I mean it works well for all of us really."

Regina's eyes widened. "_We?_"

"Yeah I guess," she said quietly, instantly regretting the suggestion. Why on earth would Regina want to spend her weekend with Emma?

"I don't know about that Miss Swan."

There is it. Emma couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks. "No, that's cool. Totally cool, it was a silly suggestion. Stupid of me to ask," She rambled.

"Enough," she held up her palm to silence the nervous woman. "I simply meant that maybe ice-cream wouldn't be the best option for Henry's lunch." She said with a large grin.

Emma stared slack-jawed. _Well shit. _"Uh well I-we could take him to Granny's instead?"

"Very well. Until Saturday, Miss Swan." She nodded, showing Emma to the door.

Emma's smile matched Regina's. "Until then," she said, evidently more relaxed before sauntering outside.

She made her way to her rundown bug and smirked. Had she just asked hardass Mayor Mills out on a date? She shook her head in the negative; no it wouldn't be a date so to speak. Henry would be there for one and if she _were_ to take Regina Mills on a date it certainly wouldn't be at Granny's. She laughed at the idea as she drove to the station.

"Morning Partner," she greeted the brunette placing both hands on the desk in front of her.

"It's afternoon," she replied coldly. "What've you been doing all morning?"

Emma looked down, trying to hide the smile that was due to fall upon her lips. "Just taking care of some business with Madame Mayor."

"Could you warn me next time? I've had nothing to do for almost an hour," she sighed, throwing out the coffee she'd bought for Emma - which was now cold.

Emma shrugged and sat down behind her desk. "I have some files that need taking to the hospital, here." She tossed the folders towards Jane before starting up her computer.

"Can't you do it?" Jane groaned, tapping her hands on the desk nervously. She knew she wouldn't be able to avoid Maura forever, although she thought she could do better than 24 hours.

Then again it wasn't Maura's fault; she shouldn't be blocked out because Jane got a little jealous. _This is ridiculous. _She grabbed the files and headed straight to the door. "Never mind, I'll be back in 20."


End file.
